Net neutrality, also known as “open internet,” is the principle that all data and traffic on the internet should be treated equally, and that internet service providers cannot discriminate or charge differently by content, user, application or website. The net neutrality rules prevent internet service providers from engaging in unfair practices that harm internet openness such as blocking access to content, throttling or deliberately slowing down traffic, and prioritizing one content over a competitor’s content.

“The internet is a resource organized on the principles of openness, fairness and freedom,” Rodriguez said. “It is an essential resource that fuels the creative engine of our city’s economy and preserves our right to communicate freely. Abandoning net neutrality would be an abandonment of the principles on which this country was founded.”

On Dec. 14, the FCC is expected to vote on a plan that would dismantle the net neutrality regulations that currently protect and maintain open, uninhibited access to lawful content online.

“We need to find ways to make the internet more affordable and accessible to Angelenos,” Blumenfield said.